Advice on Diving Channel Islands

[Dyanne]

Hi all!

I was thinking of planning a dive trip to the Channel Islands July 3rd but realized....I have no idea where/how to start planning. Lol.

Anyone have any suggestions as to charters, dive shops, tips, etc?

Initially my plan was to drive up to Santa Barbara and hit up a local dive shop around there but since I live in the Inland Empire (Corona/Riverside), the drive seemed a bit daunting.

My friends and I prefer boat dives. What do you suggest?

 

[Rainer]

Check the Spectre and Peace schedules.

 

[merxlin]

Look at the boat schedules HERE

 

[robint]

look at both the Magician and Great Escape, out of Long Beach area.

Magician has a special 4-dive trip with Avalon fireworks show: Special 4th of July boat on the Magician!

Great Escape has a special also: http://diveboat.com/great_escape_dive_calendar.shtml

robin

 

[Dyanne]

Thanks!

 

[Leejnd]

Well unless you have your own boat, you have two options: book a dive boat, or a take a ferry trip to Catalina and dive the Casino Point dive park.

Personally I vote for a dive boat. Much less effort, and you'll get a full day of diving without the crowds at the dive park.

Then the question becomes, what harbor to go out of? Most of the boats out of San Pedro/Long Beach are gonna take you to Catalina. The other option is to head a bit more north and go out of Ventura harbor - the boats there are going to take you to either Anacapa or Santa Cruz. Personally I would choose Anacapa/Santa Cruz over Catalina any day. The ecosystem is really lush and well-preserved - I've seen way more cool stuff in the northern islands than I ever have at crowded Catalina.

July 3 - looks like Spectre is going to Anacapa/Santa Cruz (you won't know which until that day - it's condition-dependent). We just did Spectre on Saturday, and had a FANTASTIC day out at Santa Cruz! Four awesome dives in perfect conditions. Given that you're coming from so far, you can board the night before, sleep in reasonably comfortable bunks (no extra charge) and then just get up and dive.

That's my advice.

 

[fnfalman]

Northern Channel Islands? Southern Channel Islands?

The California Channel Islands run the gamut from San Clemente in San Diego area to the Northern Channel Islands in Oxnard/Ventura.

No reasons to drive way up to Santa Barbara to catch a boat to the Northern Channel Islands when the dive boats in Oxnard and Ventura will do. The Explorer, the Peace and the Spectre are popular boats out of Ventura. However there is also the Raptor out of Ventura and other boats out of Oxnard as well. It's just that the E, P and S boats are the most well known and well liked (for damn good reasons). I went out of a boat in Oxnard once and was not impressed enough to bother going back. I can't even tell you what the boat's name was. It was that unmemorable.

For Catalina dives, the Great Escape is my favorite. The Magician is a decent boat with Nitrox. I like it if it were to do a non-Sport Chalet run. The Sundiver, Sundiver II and Sundiver Express also go to Catalina. I like the Sundiver charter too.

The Sea Bass is a great specialty boat, but usually it only go to very advanced dive spots. The Mr. C out of San Pedro (next to The Great Escape) was recently refurbished and under new ownership - a great improvement over the previous ownership/operator. For the longest, I did not care for Mr. C, but my last outing it did well. The new galley cook makes some mean grubs and the atmosphere seems to be friendly and more cordial. They're still working out some of the operational kinks though (like tank refill procedure needs to be more efficient) because they're a new team.

 

[wjrussell]

No one has mentioned them yet so:

Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara is an awesome operation. Some say they have the best dive boats on the west coast (I would know because I have only done boat trips with them).

 

[drbill]

Agree on the Truth Aquatics and also the Peace... my favorite boats for the northern channel islands. As fnfalman indicated, you do need to specify northern or southern Channel Islands as diving and access may be quite different. If diving the northern chain, dive conditions vary substantially from the warmer, more protected Anacapa in the east to the colder and often much more exposed San Miguel in the west.

 

[Bob DBF]

Better get your plans in order quickly, the boats have really cut down the dive trip schedules. I'm trying out a new, to me, boat because the Peace dropped their day trips when I will be there, ending a 6 year tradition. Since my daughter is scheduling I only think we will be on the Spectre.

I prefer the Peace because of the crew but, I've had great times on the Truth Aquatics boats.

I usually schedule on line then show up the evening before, bunk on the boat, and wake up for coffee and breakfast before the first dive.

As drbill said "If diving the northern chain, dive conditions vary substantially from the warmer, more protected Anacapa in the east to the colder and often much more exposed San Miguel in the west." Take any extra thermal protection you have with you and don't get cold. My daughter had been diving the nothern chain for years and on a trip to San Miguel got cold during the first dive, didn't tell me, tried to tough it out, and spent the rest of the dives on the boat trying to get warm. Her story was got cold, tried to tough it out, then could not focus enough to tell me she was cold or end the dive. She has a 7mm one peice and now has a thermal vest to go under it for colder water.

Have fun, be safe, and if you dive the Peace tell Steve "Meg's dad said hi"

Bob
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I may be old but I’m not dead yet.